Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-01-18

were promptly notified and FASTENED to
the scene OF the wreck. The captAin and
all hands aboard had,taken to the boats,
put as 1t Was impossible for them to
make q landing IN the heavy s0fl 1nn
ming, they stood away for this entrance
to the harbor. After being abandoned
the vessel drsfted south into : core,
where she pounded against the rocks.
snd at midnight Was rapidly. breaking
up. 1t was known she had q large sluAn.
thy OF powder aboard. The men from
the llfe-saying station, seeing that moth
ing could be done, and knowing the
schooner had been abandoned by the
oficars and crew, withdrew at a few MIN
utes before l O'Clock from the saepe.
They had hardly reached the station
building when q fearful explosion 90
cured, scattering destruction on all sides.
The schooner, in bearing against the
rock, had caused the powder to ignite,
and the entire quantity aboar6-nearly
100000 pounds-had exploded. To
those living in the. .neighborhood the
effect was frightful. The signal station
was completely demolished. The life
saving station wat also wrecked and the
west side ofithe .Olif house. notwith-'
standing its elevation, was blown ont
and every window pane In the, building
broken. Alarge concert room on the
beach and other buildings lower down
had all their windows broken and other
wise more or less damaged. A long
carriage shed adjoining tho Cliff house
was tumbled into e mass oil. ruins.
Adolph Sutros' conservatory on the
heights Ebove was shattered to atoms
and all the windowsin his house broken,
Three members OF the ~life-saving crew
who built Q fire on the beach. and de-
fcided to remain near the wreck. were
hurled in the air by the sohcusaion and
severely injured in being again dashed
to the earth. The remaining members
OF the crew, who had returned to the
station, rushed to the rescue'of the in
jared, az IL was feared that their close
proximity to the explosion must have
resulted in their injury. They carried
them to the station. where medical at
tention was summoned and everything
necessary to relieve their injuries was
done. One of,them, Horace Smith, had
his limbs 80 frightfnlly. disiointed as TO,
make his suferings intense. For o time
his life was despaired Of. The two
others, Charles Rogers and ohm Wilson,
escaped less serionsiy. f@aaaSs ase a
SaPbaib IhoJbloepe uscomLuhuu Oh tuo
life saving station, describes the explo-
sion as follows: "At / O'clock sleepers
were thrown from their beds by q great
explosion, whichzmade them think that
o great earthquake had upheayed the
cliff or tidal waves swept up from the
Pacific. A great wave dashed up and
vaulted over the CHnf house building.
The whole shore and cliff literally trem-
bied andshook as no earthquake has
ahaken the earth for years. People were
rndely thrown from their beds BY the
force OF the explosions. Furniture and
Fbedsteads2 were tossed and hssped
around the room.n s4T SECS
Tie famous Cliff house, presents 0
scene bAggaring description. The west
side of the building overlooking the
ocean IL completely rnined,z nnlys held
together by GROSS beams. The windows
were smashed, doors twisted of, the
hinges left ia such q shattered condition
that it will have to take down what lie
left OF It. even IL it does not toppls over
into the ocean. zig ssssvss "A